Zinc retort-furnace.



o. A. H. DE SAULLES. ZINC BBTORT PURNACE. APPLIOATION FILED APB. 22,1911.

1,041,977. Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

Y SAULLES, a citizen of the United gas and air ports variesprogressively from `a full, clear,

'mitted through a series of gas ports asso- 'cate compartments of thischaracter, whose through a down-take common to both, to an CHARLES A. H.DE sAULLEs, 0F eAs,

1BANY, 0F NEW Yoan, N.

KANsAs, AssIGNon To `NEW JERSEY ZINC CoM- Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEWJERSEY.

ZINC RETORT-FURNACE.

nearer?.

'0 all whom it may concern.' Be it known thatI, CHARLES A. H. Dn States,residing in -Gras, county of Allen, State of; Kansas, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Zinc Retort-lurnaces; and I dohereby declare the following to be j and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled I in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same. l

My invention relates to zinc retort furnaces of that type wherein theexit flueA for the products of combustion is located at one end of thefurnace chamber, the retorts or mutlies being supported, as usual, 1n aninclined position, in a number of rows one above the other, and beingheated frombe'- low by the combustion of gaseous fuel adciated withsupply ports.

In the furnace hereinafter described, the arrangement of the retorts ormutliesl is upleX, in the sense that the combustion. chamber ispractically divided into two compartments merging at the top 1n acentral down-take, Whose walls serve to support the shelves or ledgesIupon which rest the rear ends of the retorts. Each of thesecompartments isheated in the same way, that is to say, from gas and airports disposed in longitudinal series a corresponding series of airalternately along the base of the ledge-supportmg'wallM In a symmetricalarrangement of dupliproducts of combustion are conducted exit fluelocated at the extreme end of the.

furnace, the draft of the chimney upon the one end of each compartmentto the other, and to such a 'degree that there is aK correspendingnon-uniformity of temperature conditions in the `combustion chamber, theportions more remote from the exit endfor the waste gases being lesseiliciently heated. As a consequence, in order that in theretorts maybefinished or worked off within practically the same working time, somesacrifice in the amount of the charge must ordinarily be tolerated inthe less etliciently heated retorts.

My invention is designed to avoid this diculty, so as to permit theretorts, What- Speecation of Letters Patent.l vApplication filed April22, 1911.

the charges Patented Get. 22, 1912. serial No. 922,671.' v

ever be their location with respect to the exit-fine of the combustionchamber, to be equally heated, and therefore to be worked off, with themaximum charge for each, in practically the same time, thereby propor#tionately increasing the output .of the fur\ nace as a Whole. To thisend, I supply both the air and the gas to the furnace, under pressure,from suitable mains and provide the branch pipes, leading from therespective mains to the air and gas ports of the combustion chamber,with independent regulating valves. By appropriately adjusting theseindependent valves, according" to the pressures prevailing in the mainsand according to the draft of the chimney, I am thus enabled to realizewith substantial accuracy equalized conditions Cf temperature vthroughout the entire length of both com; partments of the combustionchamber,-a result which, so far as I am aware has not been heretoforeaccomplished in furnaces of this type.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l represents a cross-sectional view,partly in elevation, and partly broken awa of a zinc retort furnaceembodying my improve-` ments; Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal sectionalview thereof taken in part on a central plane, an in part, on a planeindicated by the irregular dotted line 2%2 of Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views.

eferring -to the drawing, A indicates the y supporting foundation forthe retort chamber B, which, as shown, is divided into two compartmentshaving a central longitudinal downtalce which communicates at one endofthe furnace with a suitable iue c leading to the chimney stack C. Theretorts d for receiving the charge of zinc ore and reducing material aresupported in the -usual manner in an inclined position, and rest withtheir rear ends upon the ledges e which are supported by the verticalwalls f of the downtake Z), s aid Walls being suitably buttress'ed bythe arches h.

'At the base of'each of the compartments of the combustionchamber, arelocated a series of air ports anda series-of gas ports, which arepreferably7 *assembled in pairsand alternating with each other, thepairs being preferably spaced `at substantially equal distancesapart,'sp as toivcontrol tno,

temperatures prevailing in the respective combustion'. chamber having anexit ue for zones ofv the furnace to which they severally belong. Theair ports z' communicatewith an air pressure main D, through theinstrumentality of a series of branch pipes m, each of which is providedwith a regulating valve n :tor controlling the supply of airtherethrough. So also, the gas ports a are connected to a gas pressure.main E through the instrumentality of a series oi' branch pipes. s,each of which is provided with a regulating valve t for controlling theamount of gas passed therethrough. The air pressure main D and the gaspressure main E for each compartment of the combustion chamber areconveniently located in the arched tunnel' F and may be supported, asshown, upon the tie rods fv, or otherwise.

The mode of operation of the furnace will be apparent.

By means 'of the regulating valves for the air and gas ports, therelative quantities of air and gas to obtain an equalized combus tionthroughout the length of both compartments of the combustion chamber maybe` accurately determined by the skilled operator, or may be varied fromtime to time as circumstances may require.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:-

l. A zinc retort furnace, provided with a the products of combustion atone end thereolf, zinc retorts located Within the chamber,

a series of air ports and a series of gas ports opening into thecombustion chamberbelow the retorts, an air pressure maln and a gaspressure main communicating with the said partments, a series ofair-ports and a series of gas ports opening into each compartment belowthe zinc retorts, an air pressure main and a gas pressure maincommunicating With the air ports and gas ports respectively, and valvesfo'controlli'ng independently .the air supply and the gas supply fromthemains to each of the. air and gas ports; substantially as described.u

In testimony whereof I aix my signature, in presence of tvvo` Witnesses.

CHARLES A. H. 'DE SAULLES.

Witnesses A. D. TERRELL, BLANCHE Gone.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingche Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. Y

